EVERY morning, one of the first things Dougie Davidson sees when he opens his eyes is the signed photograph of Noel Gallagher on his bedside table.
The scrawled signature across the black and white picture is his pride and joy, and it reminds him
of the moments he spent with his idol after waiting for five hours outside the Roxburghe Hotel in Edinburgh.
As he passed the time, the 39-year-old – who has since quit his job to write a book on the Oasis star – thought about what he might say.
And although Dougie planned to tell Noel he'd named his son after him, at the very last minute he changed his mind.
"I was going to tell him I had named my wee boy Noel after him but then I didn't because I thought that sounded stalker-ish," he shrugs. "I was also going to take a picture but I didn't have a camera with me.
"But it was definitely worth the wait. I had a Hearts scarf with me because I was going to see Hearts-Hibs and he joked about football and was really friendly."
That was eight years ago – on July 29, in fact – and while the conversation only lasted five minutes, Dougie will never forget it and the photograph Noel signed that day now rests in a gold frame by his bedside.
In fact, all around the South Gyle Mains flat Dougie has recently moved into with his fiancee Helen Feeney there are framed photographs of Noel.
Dougie also boasts a massive collection of memorabilia that includes around 900 CDs, a life-size cardboard cut-out of the star, 500 DVDs and a hand-written lyric from Half The World Away which cost him £6500.
In all, Dougie believes he's spent around £20,000 on Oasis memorabilia – a figure that doesn't include what he's spent on CDs and the 43 times he's seen Noel in concert.
He has spent up to £275 for a concert ticket and once filled out hundreds of entries to win an Evening News competition to see the band at the Glasgow Barrowland in 2001 – his favourite gig.
Fortunately Helen, 32, shares his enthusiasm for all things Oasis. After the couple wed next year, the first song they dance to will be the Oasis hit Wonderwall.
Although environmental health officer Helen admits she's not as dedicated a fan as Dougie, she says she doesn't mind her partner of two years playing Oasis constantly – around six hours each day.
"I don't mind it – every couple has their own thing whether it be listening to music or going to football," she smiles. "The main thing is sharing his passion. It was one of the things we had in common. I went to see them when I was 19 when they were massive and I have every album, but I'm not as dedicated as Dougie."
While Dougie now has a supportive partner, the divorcee admits previous relationships have run into difficulties because of his devotion to the Oasis star.
Not even Dougie's 11-year-old son Noel can muster much enthusiasm for his namesake, though daughter Beki, 15, is more sympathetic.
"Every single day since March 1994 I've listened to them – it's just what I do," adds the former Portobello High pupil. "I use it to motivate me and to comfort me when I'm down.
"Noel's lyrics are very positive and uplifting and mean that you can do what ever you want, no matter who you are."
Despite spending so much time tracking Noel's every move in the media – Dougie has at least nine folders of neatly written notes organised month by month – he's never tried to meet him on one of his visits to his partner Sara MacDonald's parents in Murrayfield.
"Our personalities are quite similar and if I met him I think I'd get on well with him," says Dougie earnestly.
"There's no-one that really knows more about Noel Gallagher than I do. I'd be surprised if Noel knows more about him than I do. I've done so much research.
"But while I'd love to meet him again, I respect his privacy. I wouldn't go to try and see him."
Last Christmas, Dougie quit his job as a sales manager with Mecca Bingo at Fountainbridge to work on his book full-time.
He is now talking to publishers and ultimately hopes Oasis will want the book, which has taken three years to painstakingly research, as the first official biography of Noel Gallagher.
"He's given me so much and I've not given anything back personally, so I thought that was one wee small tribute I could make to him," he explains.
The full article contains 808 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
